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Can you run a successful farm business on a small acreage?

Can you make a living from a farm spread over a small acreage? Well, these three farmers are proof with their thriving enterprises!

South East Women in Farming will host a panel of three farmers, each producing a popular product from a very small acreage next month.

The three speakers will be explaining how their business model works with an objective to encourage and inspire others to see the possibilities in a small area of land, either for diversification projects to increase income or as a solid farm business.

The panel is being chaired by farm business economist, writer and farming/food advisor, Stuart Meikle of the Irish Family Farming Foundation, who is also a regular opinion writer with That’s Farming.

Farm Diversification

Gaelic Escargot was the first snail farm in Ireland, established in 2013 and the only Research and Development Centre for the production of edible snails in the country. It provides breeding stock and baby snails for new farmers as well as providing training and mentoring. Milka has also developed a range of products such as escargot in brine and marinated escargot.

Lavender Farm offer workshops, tours, birthday parties and ‘cut your own’ harvesting days. Until recently a dairy farm, the focus has now changed to arable with both lavender and barley being grown. The lavender is grown organically with no chemical fertilisers, pesticides or herbicides.

Leonie Byrne, sheep farmer from Carnew and secretary of the SE Women in Farming group said “I’m really looking forward to the line-up planned for our first meeting of 2018. Diversification is such a hot topic at the moment, yet so many still think about farming in terms of the most common enterprises: sheep, cattle, tillage, there are so many other options out there if we think outside the box.”

All are welcome to attend the meeting and admission can be gained on the evening for €8.